Remember Me
by Mrs. Soul Evans
Summary: Natsu Has Lost His Memory Due To An "Unfortunate Accident", But For Some Reason Feels A Strange Connection To Gray. As His Guild Helps Him To Regain His Memory, The Truth To Natsu's Injury Is Uncovered And Everyone Is In Danger.
1. Chapter 1: Where am I? Who am I?

**Authors Note:**

**This Is The First Chapter Of My First Story, So, Please Give Feedback And I Hope You Like It!(: And Thanks, YolandaStargazer, For Your Great Ideas And Feedback!**

**Chapter 1: Where am I? Who am I?**

It was dark. The long, eerily strewn branches stretched from towering, leafless trees decorating the ground so that it nearly blocked the empty, starless sky, letting no light through to the clueless boy who rests beneath. A great gust of wind blew and ruffled the rose colored hair of the unconscious teen, causing his eyes to slowly flutter open.

"Aaagh.." His hand immediately went to his head, rubbing at the aching spot in the back, where he guessed he had been hit. "How did I..." The wind blew and the trees shook as little raindrops began to fall down, wetting the dragon slayer's bruised and bleeding skin.

He forced himself to stand, squinting into the darkness, trying to adjust his onyx eyes to his pitch black surroundings. He slowly lifted a leg and brought it down with a loud crunch from the fallen branches. Another step. He cringed in pain from the effort but continued to move forward.

He stumbled over a rock and hit the ground; hard. He screamed out in agony and slowly, painfully pulled himself back up. He heard a rustling from ahead through the sound of the pounding droplets of water against the soggy Earth. He sniffed the air, but the storm washed away any clues as to what could be in front of him.

"Natsuuu!?" His head immediately turned towards the high-pitched sound and he ran to the nearest tree to take cover. The unstealthy move gained his predators' attention and he could hear the crunching and snapping of running feet on the woods floor.

"Natsu! Where the hell are you?" The high-pitched voice from earlier had vanished and was replaced by what he could clearly tell was a boy; probably around his age. "Wait.. How old am I?" A spike of pain shot through his head and he gave up on trying to remember.

He turned his attention back to his enemy, sinking deeper into the bushes, trying to hide himself as his fear crept up on him. He imagined the worse; a mad serial killer, ripping off his limbs one by one; a giant monster eating him alive; a...-

"AAAAHHHH! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" An icy hand landed on his shoulder and he rushed into the fetal position; tears streaming down his pale, confused face. "Uh.. Natsu.. Are you okay?" _When I find the bastard that made Natsu __act like this..._The chilling hand clenched into a fist, but Natsu's breathing gradually started to slow, the cold fingers wrapped around him began to feel... comforting.. and he was soon sitting up to face the stranger.

"Wh-Who.. A-are.. Y-y-you?" He stuttered, trying his best to blink away his tears, despite the fact that he's nearly invisible under the dark shadows that surrounded the two. "Who the hell do you think I am, flame-head? It's me; Gray! Man, have you seen yourself? You look like...-"

A smile came across Natsu's face and he began to relax. The seemingly harsh words calmed him, although he couldn't recall why; he's in the middle of the woods with a stranger and he can't see a thing! Natsu's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Um.. Wh-where am I?" He hesitated a moment, "...Who am I?"

"Naaaaatsuuuuu!" A silent scream escaped his mouth as a small, flying creature collapsed into him. Panic started to take over Natsu's body again; his heartbeat jumped into overdrive and he grasped onto Gray with all his might, pulling himself into his damp and freezing body.

Gray's face turned a bright pink and he nervously wrapped his arms around the sobbing boy, trying his best to calm him down while also keeping his anger at bay. "Way to go, Happy. He nearly had a heart attack!" Gray scolded loudly. Happy frowned, "I'm sorry, Natsu."

"Whatever," Gray said. "Lets just get him back to the guild before he gets sick or something..."

"Aye!"

* * *

Gray looked down to find Natsu still latched onto him with a death grip. He pried at his fingers, but he still wouldn't budge. He sighed and picked him up bridal style, cursing silently as his face grew a bright pink. "Natsu.. You owe me.."

The guild doors slammed open and all eyes were on poor Natsu, in the arms of the panting Ice Mage. Erza rushed over to the exhausted Ice Make user and once again unconscious Fire Wizard, followed by Mirajane and several other guild members, and, being Erza, began throwing orders around at everyone.

A table was quickly cleared and medical equipment was at the ready. Mirajane looked Natsu over, scruntching her face in concentration, but soon replaced that look with a smile and a sigh of relief at the sight of only minor cuts and bruises.

"Graayy.." Mira looked to the Ice Mage with her irresistible puppy dog eyes and he gulped, preparing himself for whatever horrible thing she's going to force him to do. "Uh, Y-yes, Mira?" He replied, cautiously. "Would you mind doing me a little favor?" She asked with the sweetest smile. "Ah, Anything you want, Mira," He said. "What is it?"

"Weeell, you see, Natsu needs to be washed up. And I'm afraid, since I'm a lady, it wouldn't be right for me to do it, and since he seems so comfortable with you-"

"NO WAY! Don't even think about it!" He turned around to hide his rose colored cheeks, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Sorry, Gray," Mira sniffed, wiping a tear from her crystal blue eye. "I guess I'll-"

"Aw, Mira, don't do this..." Gray pouted.

Mirajane covered her face as the salty water continued to stream down her face.

"Mira..." Gray complained.

_Sniff..._

"Fine!" Gray said, annoyance clear in his voice, "I'll do it!"

Mira's face lit up and she wrapped her arms around Gray as if nothing had happened. "Thank you, Gray!"

"Yeah, whatever..." Gray mumbled with a glare, but on the inside, he might have been a little.. Excited...


	2. Chapter 2: Just Let Me Take Care Of You

**Author's note: YAAAAAY Thank You Soo Much Everyone!(': Hehe Your Reviews Made Me So Haappeee. I Almost Cried..****_Sniff Sniff. _I Hope You Enjoy Reading This Chapter Cuz I Had Fun Writing It!:3**

**Chapter 2: Just Let Me Take Care Of You**

Gray stared down at the pitiful body of his once close friend and rival, anger filled tears clouding his vision as he once again scooped up Natsu and carried him bridal style to the wash room. "Natsu, I swear I'm gonna kill this guy," He whispered to his dormant friend, his cheeks growing moist as water continued to fall from his cobalt eyes.

He gently sat the sleeping boy down onto the beige sheets inside the small Fairy Tail guest room. Although the suite wasn't large, it was fully equipped with two large, dark, wooden dressers; one mirroring the bed and the other opposite of the door. There were also matching bedside tables holding twin, cream colored lamps.

Gray walked through an arch way connecting the sleeping quarters to a cramped wash room. He went straight to the tub, turning the nozzle so that it poured steamy, clear water into the empty, white bath. _Just the way you like it, right, Natsu? _Turning around, he found the pink haired boy watching him with his big, clueless eyes. Gray couldn't help but smile at Natsu's stupidly cute face.

"Good, you're awake. Now just strip down and get in there," Gray motioned toward the tub with his head, but when he turned back to Natsu he found that his eyes had grown even wider and his dumb expression turned frightened. "Am I gonna have to do _everything _for you?" Gray sighed as he walked over to the frightened teen.

"Wh-what are you doing, G-Gray?" Natsu barely got out.

Gray smiled. _He remembered my name.._

"I'm giving you a bath, idiot. Now, come on."

Natsu clung to Gray's arm as he stood up, eyes watering with the unexpected strain it put on his calves. Growing tired of their slow pace, Gray lifted the limping boy into his arms and carefully sat him onto the rim of the tub. "Now, am I gonna have to take your clothes off for you, too?" Gray asked with a sarcastic smirk. Natsu looked down apologetically, but didn't reply. "Well then," Gray said "I guess that's a yes. "

* * *

Natsu was wearing nothing but his skin in mere seconds, thanks to Gray's bizarre stripping habit that, for once, actually deemed helpful. With Gray's help, Natsu slid into the nearly boiling water, completely oblivious to the heat due to his dragon slayer magic. "Hmmmm.." Gray's brow furrowed in thought as he studied Natsu's injured body. "I really wish Mira could have realized that I'm _not _a doctor," he sighed.

Gray looked around the room, trying to decide the best way to get Natsu clean without worsening his injuries. "Uugh," He groaned loudly, annoyed at the situation he was forced into. The sudden outburst caused the pink haired boy to jump in shock, splashing scortching water over the cringing Ice Mage. "NATSU.." Gray began, but stopped at the sight of crystal-like tears spilling from ebony eyes. Gray's face distorted in confusion, unsure of how to respond. "Uh, Natsu.. It's okay.. I..-"

"GOTCHA!" Natsu's frown flipped into a huge grin and an obnoxious laugh slipped from his mouth as he splashed Gray once again. The Ice Maker mimicked the smile, everything seeming to return to normal, and catapulted water back at his enemy; snickering at Natsu's startled reaction until he doubled over in pain from his now blistering hand and it was once again Natsu's turn to laugh.

Gray stood up, preparing for battle until the old Natsu once again disappeared and was replaced by a confused and scared pink haired teen. "G-Gray?" Natsu asked, "Um, what are you d-doing?"

"Oh, uh," Gray turned around, "I was just getting you a cloth," he said, rummaging through useless drawers and cabinets until he found what he was looking for. "Ahah!" He held up the cloth in a victory pose and knealed down to Natsu with a comforting grin. "Now, lets get you cleaned up."

* * *

After a few attempts at wetting the cloth in Natsu's sweltering bath water, Gray quickly concluded that he would just have to cool down the water with his magic; being too stubborn and lazy to use the faucet like a normal person. Putting his hand nearly to the surface of the water he wielded his ice and the water temperature dropped rapidly until it got to a safe, but still warm condition.

Natsu stared in amazement, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "How did you _do _that?" He asked. "Uh.. Natsu.. You're joking, right?" Gray raised an eyebrow skeptically. The dragon slayer answered with a slight shake of the head. "Well.. We'll talk about that later." With that, Gray ended the conversation and began to softly wipe down Natsu's blood-caked chest.

With Natsu's smooth, tan skin becoming visible his state began to look much better; although, compared to the way he looked before, a few broken bones would have been an improvement. The muddy, red assortment crusted his face, all the way down to his feet welcoming infections like a brightly glowing open sign in a shop door.

There were cuts running all across his body, most not too severe, but Gray could only imagine the pain he must be in. Following his stabs and slashes were bruises of every shade and a few swelling limbs. Even with the concoction of dirt and red liquid dripping off his body and into the water, his skin was discolored in several places and Gray was furious. _Whoever did this to you, Natsu.. He's gonna pay. NOBODY hurts my dragon slayer..- I mean..- you. Nobody hurts you. _

Soon, the bloody mixture had disappeared from Natsu's body and retreated to the now opaque water. Gray unplugged the drain and carefully helped the rejuvenated, pink haired boy to his feet. Stepping over the rim of the tub, Natsu lost his footing and stumbled onto a madly blushing Ice Mage.

"Aaah, Gray! I'm so sorry!" Natsu cried, tears welling up in his eyes. Gray's blush deepened into a vibrant red and he pushed the remorseful teen off of him too harshly. Gray buried his head in his knees, trying to rid his head of his aberrant thoughts. _Gray, what the hell are you thinking? This is _Natsu! Gray was snapped back to reality when he heard muffled sobs and the _drip, drop, splash _of the dragon slayer's tears crashing into the cold, dark, stone floor.

Gray's irritable attitude fled and his face softened into a slight smile. "Hey, Natsu!" Gray grabbed a towel and began rubbing it against the Fire Mage's head, pulling every trace of liquid from his soaking, pink hair. "Stop crying, will ya? Or I won't be able to dry you off!"

Natsu sniffed and rubbed his obsidian eyes, relaxing into the warm, steady movement of the towel pressing against his bare body until all the moisture had departed from his delicate skin. "I'll be right back," said Gray, patting Natsu's head as he walked back through the arch, into the bedroom, to fetch some clean clothes.

When Gray returned, Natsu eagerly got to his feet to greet the Ice Mage; only to fall into ice-cold arms as his weak legs collapsed beneath him. "Easy there," Gray said, helping the dragon slayer to the bed and gently dressing him in a pair of silver sweatpants.

"Just let me take care of you."

Onyx eyes fluttered closed and the last thing he remembered before drifting off to sleep was a pair of chilly lips pressed against his fevered forehead.


	3. Chapter 3: Shhhh

**Author's note: OMG Guys!:O I Stayed Up Almost All Night To Give This To You! Sorry It's Not That Long, But I Think It'll Work Cuz A Lots Going On :S Anywaaaaaay, Tell Me Whatcha Think!(: BE BRUTALLY HONEST! I Wanna Improve This Story In Any Way I Can。（＾ω＾）**

**Chapter 3: Shhhh.**

The giant, burning ball of golden light shone down from the heavens, peeking through fluffs of white matter; making the pink haired boy's tan skin appear to glow. Intertwined with his soft, flawless hand were icy fingers, pulling Natsu close to the Ice Mage's chilly side. The two boys carelessly strolled through the bright entanglement of plant life, making their way to a small, stone cottage, buried by lush greenery.

Passing by a small, cat shaped sign, reading "Natsu & Happy", their blissful surroundings grew dark and cold and Gray's hand was replaced by the frigid air as the rest of his body also evaporated into nothingness. "GRAY!" Natsu screamed silently, not being able to form the words in the sudden panic.

He was pitiful. Useless. The ground around him began to crumble away into a black and white emptiness, and for a while, he considered staying there; letting himself fall into the never-ending abyss that threatened to consume him; the same fate as his one true friend, who was now gone.

_Was he even a friend?_ Natsu thought, head throbbing and heart aching. "_No,_" he said. "Gray was much more than that. " A tear escaped his onyx eye and trickled down his flushed, fiery cheek. The tall grass beneath his feet dulled to a light grey as it imploded away to join the empty oblivion, right before Natsu jumped to the rocky doorstep of his once-welcoming home.

He was greeted by a tall, dark man; long, russet bangs covered his glowing red eyes and an eery smile fixed upon his blood-moistened lips. The dragon slayer's mouth opened into an 'o' and his eyes grew wide in fear. The sight of the mysterious man sent a sharp pain through Natsu's head and he doubled over; rubbing at the aching spot until he could once again regain his focus.

Shakily getting to his wobbly legs, Natsu pointed an accusing finger at the familiar stranger. "What have you done with Gray?!" He screamed, scorching flames building up around his trembling body. In response, the man simply flicked the Fire Mage's forehead, sending him tumbling, wide-eyed, through the empty, never-ending space below.

* * *

"AAAAHHHHHHH! AHHH! AAHHHHH!" The dragon slayer thrashed around in his bed, eyes still closed from his slumber, searching from something -anything- to grab onto. The bedroom door slung open, revealing a worried Ice Mage and a tray of breakfast crashing to the hard, wooden floor.

"Natsu!" Gray rushed over to the terrified boy, "You okay? What happened? ... Natsu!"

The pink haired teen continued to stir in his sleep, sobbing into his now soaking pillow. Gray grabbed the boy, pulling him tight against his body, slowly rocking him back and forth in his arms. "Shhhh," he whispered. "You're okay. I've got'cha."

Tan arms wrapped around the pale ice wizard, his body finally ceasing movement, burying his sniffling face into Gray's bare chest. He squeezed the cold body, for fear that he would disappear along with the boy of his dreams. Gray hugged the boy close, whispering soothing words as he scanned the room. He frowned when his eyes fell upon the shattered tray of food; staining the amber floor with spilt orange juice; along with an assortment of fruit, eggs, and slightly burnt bacon. Gray wasn't the best cook, but he tried, for Natsu.

He pulled out of the embrace just enough for him to look the fire mage in the eyes. A blush immediately took over his pale cheeks at the sight of the sparkling spheres of onyx, but he shook it off and asked, "Hey, flame-brain, you hungry? Or are you just gonna sit here and cry all day?"

At the mention of food, Natsu's stomach let out an audible grumble. Gray laughed as he transferred his feet to the ground and stood in front of the famished dragon slayer. "Come on, then," he held out a steady hand and the pink haired boy quickly joined his fingers with the welcoming, icy hand that he loved so much and the two mages walked side by side through the empty halls, trying their best to hide their bright pink faces from each other.

* * *

Crimson eyes watched from the shadows as naïve boys strolled down the narrow path, completely oblivious to the great danger they were in. He waited silently; as he has been for days, nights and everything in between; anticipating his perfect time to strike. The sinister man gave a nefarious chuckle, revealing his monsterously sharp teeth dripping with a bloody-saliva mixture. _I'll see you again soon, my sweet fire dragon. _


	4. Chapter 4: Fairy Tail's Greatest Team

**Author's Note: Hehehe, I Really Love This Chapter. :3 Makes Me Hungry... But, ANYWAAAY, Thank You So Much Mina For Following And Favoriting!(: It Really Means A Lot!**

**Chapter 4: Fairy Tail's Greatest Team... Reunited!**

"Here ya go, Natsu!" Mira smiled sweetly at the fretful boy, placing down a steaming plate of sunny-side up eggs, crispy bacon, and French toast drenched in a thick syrup. Gray watched as Natsu devoured his torrid meal, bringing his fork back and forth between the breakfast and his mouth, drooling in anticipation. He ate as if he had been fasting for weeks; sparing no time for table manners.

The starving dragon slayer had seconds, thirds, even forths until his stomach couldn't hold anymore. He leaned back in the wooden chair, throwing his feet on the table, closing his eyes and letting out a content sigh, "Aahhh." Gray smiled at the boy, temporarily returning to his former self, and squeezed the hand that Natsu had still refused to unattatch from his own.

When the Fire Mage opened his eyes to the crowded guild, he immediately burrowed himself into Gray's body, feeling anxious and defenseless surrounded by hundreds of frightening, unfamiliar faces. The Ice Mage frowned, "Natsu, these people are all our _friends. _They're not gonna hurt you." The fearful boy remained in Gray's chilly arms, but briefly uncovered his face to peek at his fellow guild members.

As usual, the place was in complete chaos; everyone was talking at the same time, fists were flying, furniture was breaking. Gray looked around the vast room, biting his lip; Natsu really needed to stop being a baby and make some friends, even if he did enjoy having the clingy idiot all to himself. He sighed when the guild doors were slammed open to reveal a flying blue cat followed by two girls - one of blonde hair and the other with cherry red. _I guess these morons are the best place to start. _

"Hey, Natsu...," Gray said through a soft-hearted smile. A pink haired boy looked up to him, giving a questioning look. "Lets go introduce you to the team, huh?" Gray could see the terror in the nervous teen's eyes, but despite his paranoya, he answered with a nod and returned the Ice Mage's bright grin, showing his sparkling, white teeth._  
_

Gray stood up, hand still interlocked with Natsu's, and pulled the boy along to the bar, blushing all the way; he just couldn't get that smile out of his head.

"Gray! Natsu!" Lucy ran up to the mages, shattering Gray's thoughts and sending Natsu cowering behind his human shield and best friend. "E-eehh.. Natsu.. What's wrong?" Lucy's sweat dropped, worried and unsure of how to act around her frightened comrade.

Gray nudged the boy cowering behing him, "C'mon, flame-head, it's only Lucy. " With Gray's reassuring words, Natsu took a breath, squeezed the Ice Maker's hand tighter than ever and abandoned his hiding place to meet his once good friend and partner.

"H-hi..." Natsu stuttered, holding out a wobbly hand to the brown-eyed girl. "Hey, Natsu," Lucy gave a friendly smile and took the boy's hand, shaking it as if they had just met. Gray smiled at his two friends, proud of Natsu's bravery; but his smile quickly vanished as a red-haired mage confronted the three wizards.

The armored girl had an intimidating look; she was fully clothed with metal plates all over her body and always kept a huge sword by her side. "I see you're feeling better, Natsu." Erza observed, giving the quivering boy a rough pat on the back, causing him to take cover, once again, in the strong and secure arms of the Ice Maker, tears streaming down his face, tainting Gray's white, button-down shirt.

Gray sighed; _Can't blame ya this time, flame head. _But Erza wouldn't allow it; the daunting Tatania was unwilling to accept the new, cowardly dragon slayer. "Natsu," Erza said sternly, staring the pink haired boy deep in the eyes. Natsu nuzzled deeper into Gray's tear-soaked shirt, scared out of his mind but unable to look away from the soulstealing gaze, "A-aye?" The dragon slayer winced, prepared to be slaughtered but was relieved to hear Erza's chilling voice rather than feeling her fists on his face. _  
_

"I think it's time our team reunited; lets take up a request, shall we?"

"Aye..."

_There goes happy #2,_ Lucy's sweat dropped, "But we just got back from a mission!-" Erza glared at the complaining Celestial Wizard, "-And~ I think it's the perfect time to start a new one! Heheh..." Lucy continued, twitching nervously.

"Great," Erza said with a smile; although Natsu still found it creepy. "Why don't we let Natsu choose our quest?"

"Aye!" Everyone cheered unenthusiastically.

* * *

"Umm... I think this one looks nice..." Natsu pointed to a flyer that was tightly fastened to the request board. The slip of paper read, 'Missing Cat. Blue Eyes, Long White Fur; Named Mrs. Fluffy. Reward: 100 Jewel.'

"You sure, Natsu?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, "I thought you'd pick something a little more destructive." She said, but quickly decided to rephrase her remark when an icy elbow hit her roughly in the arm, "- I mean..- exciting!" She glared at Gray, rubbing at her bruising arm.

"Umm... Well...," Natsu's eyes filled with sparkling water, ashamed for disappointing these nice people, "I guess I could pick something else..." He said, barely above a whisper. "No, Natsu. This is your decision. I think that's a fine request you've chosen." Erza gave the delicate boy an encouraging smile. "Yeah!" Gray agreed, ripping the thin sheet of paper off the board, "It'll be fun; C'mon, flame head!" Gray looked into the Fire Mage's eyes with a pink-cheeked grin, "Lets go find that cat!"

Natsu's body felt warmer than usual and he could feel his face transforming into a deep red. He couldn't resist it; the dragon slayer pounced at the Ice Mage, wrapping his arms tight around his freezing body, squeezing him until Gray was forced to end the embrace due to lack of oxygen.

_Dammit, Natsu! Why do you have to be so cute?_


	5. Chapter 5: Red Eyes

**Authors note: I'm SO Sorry! This Chapter Took FOREVER! And Honestly, It Could've Turned Out Better.:/ But I Really Needed To Update, So, Here. (: I've Recently Started On A New Story For Soul Eater (SoMa) But I'll Try To Finish This One First! Also, For All Of You Following Yolanda Stargazer, She Won't Be Updating For A Good While, But Will Be Back As Soon As Possible. Happy Reading, Everyone! ^^**

**Chapter 5: Red Eyes**

The winding, red-brick walkway seemed to go on forever; and for all the exhausted group of five knew,-Gray, Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and Happy- it _did_ go on forever. There was nothing to be seen but tall, lusheous, green grass for miles, accompanied by brightly colored wild flowers, and a few grazing animals on each side of the infinitive path. Natsu didn't mind it though, because he got to walk hand in hand with his dear Ice Mage; and he had to admit, the flowers smelled pretty nice too.

He closed his eyes, taking in a big whiff of the delightful fragrance, only to open his sparkling spheres of onyx to a deep, dark, threatening forest. Between eerily strewn branches and dark, leafy bushes held two tiny, glowing balls of crimson; the familiarly fearful encounter rose goosebumps all down Natsu's scarred body, ran a chill down his spine, and sent a sharp pain through the back of his head. His eyes widened, lip quivered and he froze in place, subsequently causing an unattentive Happy to crash into the back of Natsu's head. "Oi, Natsu! What's up?" The blue cat muffled through his hand as he rubbed his bruising snout.

Gray became aware of the situation as his hand was yanked back to the Fire Wizard due to his onward movement against Natsu's sudden halt. He imediately stopped and turned to face the boy, a confused but sympathetic look resting on his perfect face. "Natsu?" Gray said, attempting to get the dragon slayer's attention. He tried everything- Erza even made a few threats- but Natsu still refused to snap out of his horrific daze.

Agonizing minutes continued to pass as the silent body stood like a statue with dreadful eyes glued to the forest ahead. Gray couldn't take it anymore, "Na-" before he could get his words out, pink hair collapsed to the rough, brick floor, which accompanied Natsu's agonized sobs with scraped and bloody knees. Gray was immediately at his side, arms wrapped tight around the whimpering boy, pulling him into a warm, comforting embrace- despite the chill of Gray's body.

"Natsu, what the hell's the matter with you?" Gray whispered coarsely, trying his best to hide the worry in his voice.

"I... I Can't Go In There... He...-" A tear trickled down his unusually pale skin and he cut his sentence short when another shot of pain struck his fragile, aching head. His eyes squeezed shut and he stood trembling, gripping Gray's hand to the point that it was nearly numb.

"'He?'" Gray questioned, "'He' what? Who's 'he'?" Natsu squeezed his watery eyes closed in shuddering remembrance. That cold, fiery stare seeping into his fractured soul, melting away his sanity. His onyx eyes opened once more to gaze into the deep greenery of the forest and he forced a slight smile on his face as he turned his head to face the Ice Mage. "It's nothing, sorry," he answered, "can we go now?"

Gray hesitated, unsure of the boy's true feelings, but eventually decided not to pry any deeper and just leave it alone. "Yeah," he returned the smile and pulled Natsu along with the rest of the group trailing close behind, "Let's go."

* * *

The moment their feet hit the green, crunchy floor drowned in dying leaves they were engulfed in shadows, unable to see more than a few feet in front of them. Animal calls were heard from every direction and they could feel cold eyes piercing their defenseless bodies; they were an easy prey for whatever hungry, vicious creature that was lerking in the darkness watching, waiting for their chance to strike.

Gray gulped. _What kind of psychopath would want to live out here?_

Minutes passed- although it seemed like hours- and they soon arrived at a nice little cottage in a small clearing, letting the scorching rays of the sun bleed against the bright red roof of the house and it maintained a healthy, green yard with a unique assortment of colorful flowers. As the teens stood in awe and relief, taking in their new, pleasant surroundings, a loud bang erupted from the cottage and the screen door crashed against the wall, bringing an unusually cheery lady into view.

Her curly, peachy-blonde hair framed the plump woman's round cheeks and unneccesarily highlighted her overly-made-up face. The swirls of strawberry blonde didn't even reach her shoulders, which was draped with a pink sweater flowing into a purple gown seemingly designed by a toddler adoned with childish accessories all over her large yet short body.

"Come in, children, come in!" She gave a big, welcoming smile and waved the wizards towards the small, wide opening. Ducking through the door, the teens awkwardly stood along the wall in a quaint living room, perfectly ideal for a little old lady like herself. "Sit, sit! You must be tired!" She motioned toward a tiny, flowery love-seat and matching rocking chair. Gray immediately collapsed into the couch, bringing Natsu with him as Lucy chose the rocking chair for herself, leaving Erza who refused to take a seat, not wanting to burdon the kind woman of having to straighten up again once they leave.

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed, her mouth forming into a surprised 'o', "How rude of me! Are you hungry? I'll get you some snacks! Do you like tea? I made it fresh-"

"That'll be okay," Erza said, " we don't want to trouble you. Would you tell us more about your request?"

"Oh, of course!" The jovial smile faded a bit, "my poor fluffykins... We were out tending to my garden one morning and this nasty dog just kept watching us with those red eyes! I was clipping the roses, we don't want any nasty thorns, and when I turned around the beast was gone... But so was my fluffykins!" She erupted in tears, bawling her eyes out for a few seconds before Erza nodded and started for the door.

"We'll be on our way then. Don't worry about your cat. You'll see him soon."


End file.
